Week 7 FOCUS ON LIFE - Flower Power

Flower  is the topic of this week's post.

 I joined this journey with Sally Russick On Focus on Life and that is what we are focusing on this week.

Somewhere I read that  Flowers are Mother Earth's smile

I love that quote.  I don't know who said that though.

Flowers are hopes to me.  You plant a seed and when you have almost forgotten about it, little flowers crop up and say -   Hey, remember once you wished me... Here I am.

It gives me  confidence that things will turn out just right when I am least expecting it.  It reminds me that the things that are important are:

* taking  action - plant the seed
*being  consistent in nourishing it - water it
*relaxing  - just having  some faith.

These I apply in life too.

So, as I take my walk, going on with my life, I remind myself to pause and stoop down to appreciate a smiling flower some times.

There are surprises in each nook and corner .

When I reached home I found that the cymbidium orchid near my door steps are in full bloom now.  I love their peridot color and the tiny brown dots inside.  What a color combination!  I'll have to remember this when I work with my peridot beads.

And I thought it is too cold for orchids to bloom now.  I lost all hope and put them outside.

 How much do I know!  Mother Earth smiled one more time at my ignorance.  Here are my cymbidium orchids.

You know what?  Today is our anniversary.  38 years of togetherness in the journey of life.

To celebrate that we have bought many things on this very date through out these years.  Some are  expensive, some not.  Now if you ask us we may not remember those things,  but do you know what stood the test of time?

The flowering cherry tree we planted on our third anniversary.

Thirty five years every spring it blooms  profusely and smells so heavenly  that when I look up I remember one more time that it is Mother Earth's way of smiling to me.

Please visit all my other friends' blogs and see what they have shared.

Week 6 - Focus on Life

This week's project is to find LOVE and capture it.

Sally, our friend who has started this fabulous journey on Focus on Life says
 " ...since love is in the air ( this is February), breathe in all that love, feel it and capture it in a photo."

Here is mine :

I love this quotation of Emerson - his Definition of Success:

To laugh

often and much,
to win respect of intelligent people

and the affection of children;

to earn the appreciation of honest critics

and endure the betrayal of false friends;

to appreciate beauty;

to find the best in others;

to leave the world a bit better

whether by a healthy child,

a garden patch, or a

redeemed social condition;

to know even one life

has breathed easier

because you have lived. This is to have succeeded

 especially, I love the third line... the affection of children.


Please visit all the others who are also in this unique journey of 52 weeks with Focus on Life.

 

Strategies to boost online business and sales in my Etsy shop

I was thinking about the strategies I should take right now for improving my online business.  What should I  prioritize in  to boost sales in my my  Etsy shop?

Researching, I came to know there are lots of  things I need  to do to boost my online business.  There are quite a few good articles and books  that talks about how to shine  in your online business  or improve your Etsy shop. There are  so many advertisements, everyone shouting to buy their product,  At the end  I feel   confused and overwhelmed.

So, I decided to start with  the very basic strategies.

 Do what you do best- make more jewelry: Add new items regularly:

This is crucial we all know, yet quite difficult to accomplish. It involves not only making products, but photographing, editing, writing and marketing too.  But it has to be done and I plan to bring at least two new items a week- that is my goal.

As I have about fifty items on my shop  I can renew at least one item on a daily basis.

I also came to know that deactivating an item and then activating it with in a short period of  time  works wonder for the search engine .  In an Etsy Team discussion  Donna from Classy Lady has suggested doing  this.  This was quite new to me.  What do you think?   I'll give it a try.


 Be social- have some good karma too :

Regular blogging and taking part in the social sites become absolutely essential for  running an online business successfully  .  As I  am not techno savvy at all, I miss a lot in  understanding Facebook and Twitter techniques.

 One thing I can not stand is when people only talk and show  off what they have done.  It is like tacky advertisement to me.

 I understand that it is necessary to post in Facebook, tweet it and pin it as soon as I post a new item in my store.  At the same time  I think it is equally important to appreciate other creations , take interests in other peoples thoughts, beliefs and lives and promote other artists in these social net work  platforms. That take enormous time.

Writing blogs is not enough, reading and commenting  on others' are equally important too.

I don't do that as much as I should.  I need to put it in my calendar.

Write right:

Writing  excellent articles,  not just for my own blog but for other blogs and do that consistently is another thing I need to work on.  Chris Guillebeau writes about the importance of guest blogging in his excellent blog 279 Days to Overnight Success 

Keep it simple. Simply  work consistently

From Chris' blog I came to know about another  powerful blogger - Leo Babauta.  His Zen Habits clicked with me.  I like his minimalist approach on life.

Slow down, remove the clutter around you, with in you and you'll get where you want to go...slowly and steadily.  This is what he says in his book - The Power of Less.   This is how I want it too.

I have not finished his book, nor am I an affiliate. I am just writing as it helped me in my plans.

Editorial Calendar:

This is the concrete approach of what I was just  talking about.

 Rena Klingenburg  in her  excellent e book Jewelry Blogging Success Guide  talks about the importance of having an editorial calendar.

Again I am not an affiliate of this product of hers,   but I think it's an excellent resource that I have and I  own this book  but did not incorporate all the tools.  What a shame.

This is what I am going to focus on.

Now,  I know I did not mention that the banner in my Etsy shop could get a little help, the photos could be redone,  writing the descriptions all over to make them SEO happy is a must, and  the tags... and all that

.  Slowly and steadily I'll get there I hope.

What strategies did you use for your online  business  and had good results?  If you are joining me in this journey, will you give me your feed back, please?

Focus on Life Week 5 - Where is the heart?

Where do you see the heart?  This is the topic of our Focus in Life  for week 5

Are you kidding?  Twelve days left for the Valentine Day.  Hearts are every where.  You can't miss them if you enter any drug store...the candy isle will attract you like a strong magnet.  Hearts  are on every thing from  linens to love notes.  It's a Hallmark celebration... every item with a heart motif actually screaming BUY ME .

But Sally enthused me to go deeper.


Now I look for heart.  I wanted to knit a sweater for a little girl whose birthday is on the Valentine Day.  So I really wanted to find a pattern with a heart.  I searched it on line and in books and finally I found some thing in a book called The Encyclopedia of Knitting



Here is the pattern if you care.  My project is almost finished.  May be in the next few days  I'll be able to share it with you.

But as I was knitting I was thinking,  can hearts really be seen?   Diving deeper I remembered something that welled up my eyes.  My pattern got blurry.

I'll share that story.

About ten years ago my father came to visit us in USA from India.  He used to wear a woolen shawl.   Some times I used to wrap myself in it.

One such chilly morning he approached me and said, "Oh there it is.  Now why do you have to wear this very one while you have so many of yours?"

I gave it back to him saying " Because it smells...DADDY".

Hmm.

When he left for India I saw him off to the airport, returned to his empty room and found the shawl on top his pillow, neatly folded.

Later, I told him, " You forgot something ... your shawl."  He gave me a cute smile squinting one eye.  I knew he left it for me on purpose.

He died a couple of years  after this.

Some days, when I feel dark and cold and sad, and I don't know why,  I wrap myself with this special Kashmiri shawl and my heart fills up.  I feel abundance of love.  I see hearts everywhere.

Please check out all the other participants who are in this journey with us

Simplicity

Keep it simple - that is all to this blogpost.

Our good friend Tracy  inspired me to write a post on a word or phrase that motivates me, challenges me, that should embrace many aspects of my life like spiritual, emotional, physical, financial and social.  When I closed my eyes to find that one word - the image that came to my mind is a serene, uncomplicated place...nothing too much... just simple.  Yes, the word  is -  "SIMPLICITY".

There is so much clutter around me, so  many things, so many  thoughts, too many lists to get done , that I am exhausted.

I close my eyes.  Take a deep breath and let my self go that serene place.  A  three minutes break and  I feel  energized.

So I decided to embrace this word or the phrase "Keep it simple"  as my core value or goal  for this year.

I'll need to adjust to incorporate this, make some simple changes in habits and I think it will just lead me to the person who I want to be.

I'll do things with love - small things but with great love.  I don't want to feel stressed doing that.  That will be my cue to me  to  take it easy, or even stop , because beyond that it is meaningless.

I will give as much as I can with love, things and lessons that may benefit someone up to the point when I do not feel grumpy and angry and stressed.

If I can  I go back to this core value of keeping things simple,  my everyday tasks may not seem so frightening.

As I was thinking all these my hands were busy making these book marks.

 It is true as the poet Rabindra Nath Tagore says- " It is very simple to be happy but it is very difficult to be simple."

I made several of them indeed.  This very last one is made with peridot and garnet gemstones.

This one is for a couple for their anniversary present.  See, my friend is an August born, so her birth stone is peridot and her significant other is a January born baby, with garnet as his birthstone.  And the mother of pearl heart is to signify their love for each other and my wish - may that love be nourished.

I do not make  stamped word jewelry so I hope my jewelry speaks these thoughts ...perhaps whisper to the recipient ...then I'll know my job was well done.

Here is my other friends' posts who have also decided to take this Wellness Words Challenge  journey.

http://makebraceletsblog.com/2013/01/05/inspire-change-wellness-words-jewelry-challenge/

acreativeforce.blogspot.com alankarshilpa.blogspot.com allprettythings.ca anniamaebisuteria.blogspot.com.es/ apolymerpenchant.com beadlolabead.blogspot.com/ beadrecipes.wordpress.com centsations.wordpress.com clay-space.com/ creativeatelier.net elliesbijoux.com emakdesigns.com erinsiegel.com etsy.com/shop/shamaen facebook.com/hotsouthernmessdesigns facebook.com/soquilidesigns fairiesmarket.blogspot.com firstimpressiondesign.blogspot.com gemsbyjudy.com glasstastreasures.blogspot.com handcraftedserenity.blogspot.com facebook.com/azuresunshines facebook.com/whdalaska jeanetteblix.com kimmykats.com kymhunterdesigns.blogspot.com lisayangjewelry.com macmillanmarie.blogspot.com makebraceletsblog.com miabellasoul.com misheldesigns.com mycreativechallenge.blogspot.com noseycritters.blogspot.com pixiloo.blogspot.com sandivolpe.com sharonsjewelrygarden.blogspot.com shaterra.etsy.com shinylittlethings.blogspot.com shymedesign.se shymessmycken.blogspot.se simpleearthcreations.com soultosubstance.com suebeads.com sunshinebliss.com sweetbeadstudio.com sweetwillowdesigns.blogspot.com thebeadingyogini.com thestudiosublime.com treasures-found.blogspot.com twitter.com/ldymlivelystone vault31.blogspot.com veradesigns.blogspot.com

How to make a knitted wire Valentine heart - A Free Knitted Wire Jewelry Pattern

How do you make knitted wire jewelry?  Some of my jewelry making friends asked.

 So I decided to show what I know in this post.

I love to knit and I love to make jewelry using quality gemstones and all kinds of beads.  So one Christmas when I got a book about knitting with wire, I just took off.  I got hooked into making knitted wire jewelry.

 There are several good books on this topic but this was the first book that inspired me.   I am not any affiliate of this author or amazon. No monetary gain,   I mention it because I have it and learned from it.

As Joyce Goodman says,  it's a good idea to start with wooden double point needles and coated copper wire, like the artistic wire. Later,  I have experimented with all kinds of wire, sterling silver, copper, and gold filled wire and now I like metal double point needles better than the wooden ones.

 For knitted wire designs all you need to know is - how to cast on, knit, purl and bind off.

Knitting with wire is a little different from knitting with yarn in the sense that  the properties of yarn and wire are different.  Wire knitting may not feel as soft, smooth and quick like knitting with yarn.  There is a difference in  muscle movement and it may feel tedious at least in the beginning.

But if you like the lacy, dainty filigree look of the knitted wire  jewelry, you'll get hooked.

Enough talking, now I'll show how i knit with wire.

Materials needed:

*Knitting needles size 4 US,  in this particular one- I used double point ones and metal.

*Wire -   28g or 30 g artistic silver tone wire.  I have also used sterling silver and gold filled wire in some projects but not thinner than 30g.  It tends to kink and break.

*Tiny 2 mm garnet gemstone beads

* One hessonite garnet briolette 6 mm

* Flush cutter

Procedure:

1. String 26 garnet beads in the wire. Put the wire  roll in a zip loc bag

Note - here I have the round nose and the chain nose pliers too because I extended this project to making a book mark.  For making the pendant you may not need them.

2. Cast on 6 stitches.

3. Next row knit with beads, meaning slide one bead, knit. Slide one bead, knit - all 6 stitches.


4. Next row- just knit without beads.

5. Next row - Knit with bead like row 2  ( You may knit randomly, meaning skipping a bead in some stitches and so on to give it a free form look if you want ).  

6. Next row - knit without beads.  Every now and then stretch the knitted piece ( or rather block it )

7. Go  on in this fashion until all the beads are gone,  knit the last bead  ( that is the briolette.)

8.  Bind off. Cut the wire from the knitted piece.

9. Now with your fingers  give this a heart shape.  Here comes the fun part knitting with wire.  You can sculpt the piece as you like because wire gives you that freedom that yarn can not.

Voila! Your knitted wire jewelry pendant is done.

10.  Depending on what you make,  you have to think about your finishing.  Add a jump ring to make it a pendant or add some beads like I did here,  to make it a book mark

Artists that inspire me :

Ruth Asawa. Check her work in The De Young  Museum  in San Francisco.

Create Art

Create Art is our topic for the Week 4 of our journey of 52 pictures with Focus on Life

Sally is so right - " There is no wrong way to be creative."  True.

When I see a young four year old child paint,  I see he is totally in to the process, some times even oblivious of the finished product.  He doesn't  care if his painting is coveted  in  art galleries.

 That happen as we grow old.

We become critical of our production.  We become our worst critique. Self criticism slowly creeps on  and  kills the artist child in us.

But to many people it is as vital as food.  Art is needed to nourish the soul.

I have this quote framed  and I  kept it  on my jewelry making table.

Yet, I think there needs to be a fine balance so that I can improve and  learn new things and sharpen my skill every day.  This week I plan to make some knitted valentine hearts with garnet and amethyst. Some thing like this but each one should be different.

 I am trying to become more organized.

I love to make jewelry but the harder part is selling them. And with out selling them how can I create more?  How'd I buy the raw materials?

Some times I feel like this too.

Then I pick up myself up and remind :

Please check all the other bloggers' posts and see what they are writing  about this topic -  CREATE ART